I am surprised that there have not been more mentions of Origins Pre-Shave Oil by B&B members given the good quality and availability of this product.



First, for those not familiar with the Origins brand, Origins is a subsidiary of Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. that was started in 1990 when the market for more natural, organic and environmentally-friendly cosmetics first emerged. Origins has cosmetics counters in most big city department stores, as well as a number of stand-alone stores nationwide. Origins is not in the wet shaving market per se, but like its sister companies Estee Lauder and Clinque, it has a limited selection of products for men -- including this pre-shave oil. All Origins products have gimmicky names, and the unfortunate moniker for this product is "Easy Slider" pre-shave oil. Despite the unfortunate name, it's an excellent pre-shave oil.



I'm not a big fan or advocate of pre-shave oil generally because I don't have time for it and I also don't think it ads all that much to the shaving experience. However, I do find that using this product in conjunction with soaps or cremes that are dryer or short on "cushion" is beneficial. The oil used is a combination of sesame and jojoba oils; natural and not too greasy. It also has a very affable light and crisp scent as its ingredients include most of the scents folks here like: sage, sandalwood, eucalyptus and peppermint. However, the scent is probably too light and aromatic for those who prefer classic "barbershop" scents. It leaves your face feeling clean after you're done shaving with no noticeable residue on your face or your razor. The packaging is clever-looking, durable plastic, making it well-suited to travel. The bottle opening has been designed to avoid dispensing too much product at one time.



Origins Pre-Shave Oil is a good performing product in a couple of other respects: It will generate a light lather when applied that both protects and lets you know where its been applied. Additionally, if you have the inclination to do so, as the label on the bottle indicates, you can actually shave with this "solo" without shaving cream or soap. Shaving with Origins pre-shave oil alone with a DE razor is probably not something many of readers here are interested in, but doing so offers an incredibly close, and reasonably comfortable shave. It can be an especially useful way to get a quick shave when travelling or where your options and time are limited.



If you can get over the very unfortunate name, this would be a good purchase for anyone interested in trying a pre-shave oil. It's major drawback is its price tag -- a bit pricey at $18.50 for just 1.7 ounces. The upside however is that, unlike most wet shaving products that have to be purchased online or in hard-to-find specialty shops, this is one you should be able to find at the Origins counter of most major department stores.

I picked up a bottle of this stuff today. Very nice indeed! I'm one of those guys that uses pre-shave oils because I think it does help my shave out. It has a very nice feel with a pleasant scent and rinsed clean off my brush and face. My last oil was from L'occitane and I thought that was a nice product as well with nothing bad to say. I think I actually like the Origins better. I thought the aroma was very smooth with notes of lavender and various other natural oils like grape seed, etc. Also, you get a bit more bang for your buck so to speak as the L'occitane is $20 for a 1oz bottle and the Origins was $18.50 for 1.7oz. If you use oils such as this regularly you could certainly do worse than this fine product. Go to your local Origins store and give it a look. The sales clerk was nice enough to give me 2 small sample tubs of their shave cream (enough in each for 1 shave) as well so I would imagine if you asked they would be more than happy to give you a sample of this oil if you'd like to try it. BTW...I have not tried the shave cream yet, but it smells very nice and smells kind of similar to the oil.

------------------------------
"I don't believe in that phony hero stuff" Steve McQueen

For anyone looking for a preshave oil, this is it. It's great stuff. Very light, smells citrusy and doesn't gum up your razor.